EARTHWATCH : Popcorn Packer : West Coast companies eat up the idea of using the biodegradable snack as packing material.

There’s a new packing material out there, perfect for sending your Aunt Rona’s teapot to Boston or your favorite watch back to the manufacturer for cleaning. It’s easy to find, cheap to buy and best of all, it’s biodegradable. As an added bonus, if you have any left over after packing, you can season it and chow down in front of the television.

We are talking about popcorn. Real, put-in-the-pot-and-hear-it-pop, popcorn. Rid the kitchen cupboard of those half-empty popcorn jars that seem to hide in dingy corners or buy the cheapest bulk bag you can find at the local market. Then, cook it up, cool it down, and let it flow around the item you’re packing. Overstuff the box a little--just as you would any other packing material--seal it up, put some stamps on it and you’re set.

Until recently, the packing material of choice for business has been Styrofoam popcorn, also known as peanuts, a white, light fluffy little devil that works well at absorbing shock, but releases fluorocarbons into the atmosphere. So it’s not the best thing for the environment.

Now, a number of West Coast companies have started using regular old eating popcorn as packing material, finding it easy to store (it’s very compact until you cook it), easy to use and easy to get on a Sunday night. It also happens to be a first-rate shock absorber and it’s totally biodegradable, which means it won’t hurt the Earth. And the idea is catching on among businesses.

OK, so you have Aunt Rona’s teapot that you found at a flea market in Tijuana and you want to send it to her in Boston.

First, line the box with a plastic bag, which will not only prevent crumbled popcorn from falling out, but, heaven forbid, will prevent hungry rodents from getting in.

If it’s made out of metal, there shouldn’t be a problem. Just find a box that will give at least two or three inches of space all around the item, lay down a thick layer of popcorn, nestle the tea pot in the middle (you might want to wrap it in a plastic bag), then add more popcorn until it’s covered. Let it settle a few minutes and add some more corn. Glass is trickier. If it’s a pot or something, you may want to fill up the inside with popcorn, too, then pack the same way, making sure there is plenty of popcorn between the item and the box.

The idea, experts say, is to let the packing material, in this case the popcorn, absorb the energy of bounces and jolts. If properly packed, the equivalent of a 9.9 earthquake on the outside is just a little nudge on the inside.

So, you have the tea pot smothered in popcorn. Before you seal up the box, how about enclosing a short note that says something like, “Hi, Aunt Rona, hope you like the tea pot. By the way, the popcorn packing is biodegradable, and although I don’t suggest you eat it, instead of tossing it in the trash, let the birds and squirrels have it.”

If your family is like mine, someone will grab a handful of week-old, post office-shipped popcorn, stuff it in his mouth and look like a chipmunk. Don’t worry, it won’t hurt him. The stale taste may serve him right, but it won’t cause any damage.

And good news for you environmental types who say, “I don’t cook, I don’t do dishes, I don’t go near a kitchen.” You can still do popcorn packing.

Discount stores and markets have huge bags of pre-popped popcorn just waiting for someone who doesn’t want to burn a pan or hit a microwave button. It’s usually fairly tasteless.

But remember, you’re cramming boxes with it, not serving it to guests.